Amala students’ path to recognised language proficiency: a collaboration with Avant Assessment

Language proficiency is a skill that can open many doors for Amala students. That is why in 2022, when Avant Assessment Co-Founder and CEO David Bong offered free STAMP 4S tests to Amala students to recognise their biliteracy skills, we at Amala knew that this would be a brilliant opportunity for a partnership with an organisation that aligns with our aim to equip students with skills they can use to build brighter futures for themselves. 

The Stamp 4S test can be used to help students earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy, as well as supporting applications to further and higher education and proving their biliteracy. Like Amala’s assessment model and educational ethos, the Stamp 4S test does not pass or fail students. Learners receive a score out of 9 for each of their language proficiency skills: listening, speaking, writing, and reading. These scores and the resulting feedback provide students with a clear understanding of their strengths and where they need to improve further. 

To really ensure the success of this initiative, Learning Facilitators in Kenya and Jordan took the STAMP 4S test so that they could understand the assessment which their students were about to do, and so that they could also earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy. The proficiency tests also gave Amala educators (for many of whom English is not their first language) the opportunity to test and enhance their own language skills.  

In June 2023, a group of Amala students at both sites tested their language skills in English. Now, in July 2024, as a result of having passed the Avant Stamp 4S test, twenty nine Amala students in Jordan and Kenya have qualified for the Global Seal of Biliteracy credential, receiving their certificates which prove their bilingual ability to the wider world. 

Students in Kakuma commented on how the Stamp 4S test will open doors and build their skills:

“I will attach my scores when I want to apply for the job opportunity. It will also help to join other institutions when I want to apply for colleges or university.”

“It was very hard but again very helpful because it makes us active listeners, creative and build our vocabularies and learn their meanings.”

Khaled, a student in Amman who speaks Arabic and Somali as well as English, commented on the surprising nature of the test.

“Seeing my English proficiency level was a pretty positive experience, but what surprised me was the test’s unusual format. I’ve never taken an English test like that. Having an English proficiency certification would be very beneficial to me because it is a language that is widely used nowadays and is essential.”

Facilitators have been using the test in the classroom with new cohorts of our Global Secondary Diploma students to assess their level of English proficiency, and building the results into their English development action plans.